2014 Hyundai Sonata Limited 2.0t on 2040-cars

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New Hyundai i30 N hot hatch makes at least 250 horsepower

The chefs at Hyundai's new N performance division are working on their first dish, a Korean take on the ever popular hot hatch. The new model will be a modified version of the i30, or Elantra GT here in the US. Hyundai Motor Europe revealed a new teaser today showing the car testing on public roads in the UK. While we could cross our fingers for this spiritual successor to the Renault 5 Turbo, the car appears to be a traditional Volkswagen GTI and Ford Focus ST competitor. The first teaser from March showed the new i30 dancing around at a snow-covered testing facility in Sweden. While the video did give us a few cool shots of the new car tossing up a bit of the white stuff, it didn't actually reveal any new details. This new video is different, showing what might be the car's horsepower and torque rating. A quick shot of a computer screen shows 257.5 PS at 6,000 rpm and 302.1 Nm, which translates to about 254 horsepower and 223 lb-ft of torque in American. It's unclear if this is power at the crank or the wheels, but it seems to be right in the middle of the pack for the segment. We're really looking forward to this new model. Hyundai (and Kia for that matter) has been on a roll the past few years. Its cars are no longer simply value buys. The Elantra Sport shows the company is capable of building a enthusiastic little all rounder that can compete with the big guys. It looks like the car is in the final stages of development, so look for a full reveal sometime this fall. Related Video:

2013 Hyundai Veloster Turbo: April 2013

Learning To Love Understand You
I will admit, I haven't had the nicest things to say about our long-term 2013 Hyundai Veloster Turbo since its arrival in our fleet earlier this year. I can't exactly say that I've bonded with our turbocharged Hyundai, despite the fact that I've driven it quite a bit since its arrival in the Autoblog Garage. Several of my friends will no doubt recall me saying things like, "I love everything about this car - except driving it," which is a shame, since the driving aspect is what's supposed to make this car so special. I'm a big fan of the base Veloster, and this one has the extra power bump that the naturally aspirated could really benefit from. So what gives?
Recently, I took a trip to the south of France, where I drove the brand-new Ford Fiesta ST along the lovely roads of the Alps. I adored that car - it's everything a hot hatch should be, and it's priced right, too. But when I came home and picked up the Veloster Turbo at the airport, I found myself disappointed. The Ford I drove in Europe was similar to the Hyundai in terms of size, function, equipment and price, but it was far better to drive. To be fair, that car wasn't even out to benchmark when the Veloster Turbo debuted, but my already sour feelings only got worse at that moment.

Next Hyundai Elantra GT hatchback previewed by i30 teaser

The Elantra GT hatchback looked a bit neglected after its sedan sibling was introduced last year. That said, the Elantra hatchbacks have historically been released after the sedan, and usually had significant differences between the two body styles. Based on this latest teaser from Hyundai, the hatchback will continue its unique streak. The teaser is officially for the European i30, but the i30 and Elantra hatchbacks have been the same vehicles since the late 2000s. There's also no sign of the American version being dropped or deviating from its European twin, so it seems a safe bet that this newest i30 will come here with the Elantra name. Hyundai does make it clear that this car was made with Europe in mind though, since both the press release and video tout the fact that all of the styling and development work was done in Europe. Peter Schreyer, lead designer for the Hyundai group, says this car is "the next step to how Hyundai design should be." So look for key design elements like the "cascading grille" to appear in future Hyundai vehicles. Speaking of design elements, we can actually spot a decent amount of them in the teaser image and video. The grille extends down the front of the bumper in a similar fashion to the sedan. Overall, the shape of the car looks more formal and upright than the steeply raked design of the current model. In addition, the sheet metal appears to be much less busy, with far fewer swoops and lines. The car will be fully revealed on September 7 just before the Paris Motor Show. Related Video: